I can't get over how huge Monday night is now, espescially after blowing the Saints game.

It seems like a tone setter for the rest of the season, we may recover from a loss, but it'll be a gigantic boost forward if we win.

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I couldn't agree more. This game is pivotal, not only because we would be solidly on top of the division, but it would give the team the boost they need to play the second half of the season like real winners, even against the tougher teams. And of course, we need the W to redeem ourselves from the humiliation of losing to the Saints on SNF last week, but that goes without saying.

Raiders pretty much made Matt Ryan look like Mark Sanchez.. they only lost 26-23 away while we got our asses kicked at home! Just shows you how much the NFL changes week to week..

Big game Monday night.. must win..

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The Falcons turned the ball over 3 times in the 1st quarter and seemed like they wanted to lose, yet the Raiders lost.

When Oakland gave us the ball a few times and we "only won by 8" fans were upset that we didn't look that great. Now some (not all) of these same fans are trying to paint Oakland as good for basically doing the same thing with a worse result.

Even with a win they could still fall to 4-12 if they don't keep winning.

But yes Norv, please win the game because it's huge.

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Why not put this where it belongs? ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE F'IN PLAYERS!

I mean do you really think that Norv is not coaching them, or looking at film?

The players have to make plays, and not commit turnovers and stupid game changing penalties. I know it is easy to pick the lower fruit, but lets bring our rhetoric up a level beyond the mindless ramblings of the masses shall we?

I was actually more focused on arguing against the notion that winning tomorrow would be "putting the division away" when it'd merely give us a 2 game lead really early on in the season and a very good jump start to the divisional record advantage.

It's a whole part of my mantra I've been pushing as of late where I don't try to predict the future for good or bad results. A win tomorrow might leave some thinking the division is as good as ours with how much of an advantage the 3-0 divisional record and 2 game lead would give us. But there's still a LOT of football left and, even with a loss tomorrow, the Donkeys could still go 5-1 in the division.

Why not put this where it belongs? ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE F'IN PLAYERS!

I mean do you really think that Norv is not coaching them, or looking at film?

The players have to make plays, and not commit turnovers and stupid game changing penalties. I know it is easy to pick the lower fruit, but lets bring our rhetoric up a level beyond the mindless ramblings of the masses shall we?

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As soon as Norv stops making inexplicably stupid decisions on game day (like taking the ball out of the hands of a RB averaging over 7ypc when we have a 10 point lead) then people will start putting more fault on the players.

Both are part of the problem.

But if you're looking for a real finger pointer listen to a Norv day after loss interview, he's more than willing to blame the players, or allow the players to blame themselves. Unlike a lot of coaches who are man enough to take the bullets themselves.

As soon as Norv stops making inexplicably stupid decisions on game day (like taking the ball out of the hands of a RB averaging over 7ypc when we have a 10 point lead) then people will start putting more fault on the players.

Both are part of the problem.

But if you're looking for a real finger pointer listen to a Norv day after loss interview, he's more than willing to blame the players, or allow the players to blame themselves. Unlike a lot of coaches who are man enough to take the bullets themselves.

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I'd hate to be stuck in the same foxhole with you under fire. I really don't know what would be worse, the enemy or your complaining.

First, I think that OAK and KC are both out of the picture after week 6, which is awesome. If the Bolts can get the win on Monday and again in week 11, we might be able to lock the division up with 6 weeks to go.

I was actually more focused on arguing against the notion that winning tomorrow would be "putting the division away" when it'd merely give us a 2 game lead really early on in the season and a very good jump start to the divisional record advantage.

It's a whole part of my mantra I've been pushing as of late where I don't try to predict the future for good or bad results. A win tomorrow might leave some thinking the division is as good as ours with how much of an advantage the 3-0 divisional record and 2 game lead would give us. But there's still a LOT of football left and, even with a loss tomorrow, the Donkeys could still go 5-1 in the division.

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A win Monday wouldn't lock the division up, but a win Monday and again week 11 probably would.

Owning the tie breaker with Denver wouldn't do us any good if we finished 5-11.

They still have other games they have to win.

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I will be legitimately surprised if this team finishes 5-11. A lot of the teams that had looked very imposing before the season are showing a lot of holes, and in Pittsburgh's case, age. If we beat Den x 2, Balt, Cin, and NYJ are going to be our most challenging remaining games, and we can probably win at least 1 of those three.

I will be legitimately surprised if this team finishes 5-11. A lot of the teams that had looked very imposing before the season are showing a lot of holes, and in Pittsburgh's case, age. If we beat Den x 2, Balt, Cin, and NYJ are going to be our most challenging remaining games, and we can probably win at least 1 of those three.

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The entire AFC looks beatable at this juncture of the season.

Cincinnati just lost to Cleveland, the Jets look like world beaters one week and jokes the next, Baltimore has all kinds of holes on defense (a sentence I never thought I'd find myself typing).

Everyone on the schedule is beatable, even more so than the sense that I typically want to aim for with my approach (Any given sunday, yadda yadda).

I will be legitimately surprised if this team finishes 5-11. A lot of the teams that had looked very imposing before the season are showing a lot of holes, and in Pittsburgh's case, age. If we beat Den x 2, Balt, Cin, and NYJ are going to be our most challenging remaining games, and we can probably win at least 1 of those three.

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And not that I prefer to celebrate injuries, but a Ravens defense that already hadn't looked like the same Ravens defense of old will now face us without Ladarius Webb, their top CB who tore his ACL today, possibly Haloti Ngata who is set to miss "a few weeks" with an MCL injury (and those can be tricky to come back from quickly for a guy his size), and possibly Ray Lewis (pending the severity of the triceps injury he suffered today).

And not that I prefer to celebrate injuries, but a Ravens defense that already hadn't looked like the same Ravens defense of old will now face us without Ladarius Webb, their top CB who tore his ACL today, possibly Haloti Ngata who is set to miss "a few weeks" with an MCL injury (and those can be tricky to come back from quickly for a guy his size), and possibly Ray Lewis (pending the severity of the triceps injury he suffered today).

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Triceps injuries are devastating. It's one of those injuries that you can't just suck it up for, and there's nothing to tape. He'll be sidelined until it's healed.

First, I think that OAK and KC are both out of the picture after week 6, which is awesome. If the Bolts can get the win on Monday and again in week 11, we might be able to lock the division up with 6 weeks to go.

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Concur! If we win tonite, we’ll be in pretty good shape as we’ll be 3-0 in the division, and every other team in the AFC West would have at least 1 divisional loss to us. We would be 4-2, (all 4 victories being conference wins as well) and Denver would be 2-4. Oakland currently sits at 1-4 while the Chiefs are 1-5, and at that point, we could almost play .500 ball the rest of the way and still take the divisional crown.

If we win & then play .500 ball the rest of the way, we’d finish at 9-7. I don’t really think a 9-7 record wins this division but it quite possibly could – it would’ve last year, and if we’re 9-7 but with the superior divisional and/or conference record, it could very well be enough.

If we win this game, we’ll be 4-2 so if we prevail and become at 3-0 in the division & 4-0 in the conference, I’d like our chances of winning at least 10 games and holding on to win the AFCW. If we have a good run and a few of the usual AFC powerhouses continue to struggle, we could even earn a postseason bye week.

Concur! If we win tonite, we’ll be in pretty good shape as we’ll be 3-0 in the division, and every other team in the AFC West would have at least 1 divisional loss to us. We would be 4-2, (all 4 victories being conference wins as well) and Denver would be 2-4. Oakland currently sits at 1-4 while the Chiefs are 1-5, and at that point, we could almost play .500 ball the rest of the way and still take the divisional crown.

If we win & then play .500 ball the rest of the way, we’d finish at 9-7. I don’t really think a 9-7 record wins this division but it quite possibly could – it would’ve last year, and if we’re 9-7 but with the superior divisional and/or conference record, it could very well be enough.

If we win this game, we’ll be 4-2 so if we prevail and become at 3-0 in the division & 4-0 in the conference, I’d like our chances of winning at least 10 games and holding on to win the AFCW. If we have a good run and a few of the usual AFC powerhouses continue to struggle, we could even earn a postseason bye week.

Beneficial for us is that the Steelers appear to be a completely different animal on the road versus at home this season (why, oh why, do we ALWAYS have to play them at that trainwreck of a field that used to be Three Rivers?), so at least they stand a chance to have a pretty mediocre in-conference record. The dark horse teams are truly difficult to pluck out of the conference this year. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked to see one come out of our division (the Donks, obviously, if we do win the division) considering how up and down so many teams seem to be. The Jets' win today doesn't tell me a ton, considering that it was largely a capitalizing on field position accomplishment achieved at home against a team with still several talent holes and a rookie QB. That same Colts team is probably the most legitimate WC threat outside of maybe Miami besides the Steelers in our conference. The Steelers keep running into more and more OL injuries though. And Indy saw today why, when you're not playing with the fire that comes with playing in honor of your cancer-diagnosed coach, a Bruce Arians offense is pretty sub-par.

Miami would effectively be the Bengals of last season if they made the playoffs: A good (not great) defense capitalizing on a relatively weak schedule while getting the most possible out of their run game and here-to-there good performances out of a rookie QB. They'd likely get wrecked in the 1st round of the playoffs. Believe it or not, I'm less concerned about, assuming we make the playoffs, getting a 1st round bye than I am getting a seed that doesn't draw the Pats at home. Their offensive scheme plays to almost every single one of our defensive weaknesses and frankly I don't like the odds of going up against Brady in a shootout at Foxboro, meanwhile there are other teams more likely to make the playoffs who could (with the right seeding) pose a SERIOUS threat to knock the Pats out prematurely (particularly how their D has performed this season) like Houston and Pittsburgh.